Despite being one of the worst on-road performers we've ever tested at C/D, Ford's earth-pummeling F-150 SVT Raptor is one of the coolest vehicles extant. A Special Vehicle Team doodle turned market darling, Ford has embraced the truck's surprising popularity, cranking up production and adding useful new features each model year. While the updates for 2013 are largely cosmetic—we've previously run full road tests of the 2010 5.4-liter and 2010 6.2-liter—we took that as an excuse once again to play with one of our favorite four-wheeled machines.

Faster, Stronger, Better

The Raptor debuted for 2010 as a SuperCab model with a 310-hp, 5.4-liter V-8, but has since adopted a 411-horse, 6.2-liter eight-pot and also offers a choice of a full-four-door SuperCrew version. Last year saw the addition of a Torsen limited-slip front differential and a nifty, front-facing camera, both of which are quite handy for rock-climbing. For 2013, new 17-inch forged aluminum wheels have been added, and they feature a patented bead-lock system for keeping the 35-inch-tall tires on the rims at very low pressures. (This is a rare feature in the industry—Jeep also offers one through Mopar—as the tires can be mounted either normally or in the "locked" position on the rims and secured with a $135 kit from Ford Racing.)

A sand-ish color aptly called Terrain has been added to the palette for 2013, which combined with the chunky new wheels to make our particular example look like a prop for a G.I. Joe movie. The full MyFord Touch suite (here with redundant knobs) also is now available inside, for better or worse, and HID headlights have been added to the $4760 Luxury package (power and heated/cooled front seats, adjustable pedals, dual-zone climate control, navigation, remote start, heated and power-folding mirrors, and a trailer-brake controller). Our SuperCab tester based at $44,335 and had all of the above, as well as $1075 in bed graphics and the $525 front/rear camera systems for an as-tested total of $50,695.

Even more rapturous Raptors are soon to take flight. Ford's SVT is cooking up a Raptor Special Edition for this fall that will crank up the truck's cosmetics with big exterior graphics, Brick Red and black seat bolsters with honeycomb cloth inserts, and other interior touches. Not to be outdone, Shelby American will introduce its Shelby Raptor, supercharged and intercooled to the tune of 575 horsepower, and fitted with custom leather upholstery, a choice of three different body graphic themes, and other upgrades, starting at $17,995 over the price of the "base" Raptor.

Clearly Compromised

As in our previous experiences, the Raptor is very comfortable and stable in normal driving while offering woeful handling at the limit. It feels immense and powerful behind the wheel and traffic seems less like something you're participating in than it does an annoyance scurrying at your feet. But you pay for that feeling of superiority every time you dock it at a fuel pump, as it costs $100 or more to fill the 26-gallon tank (36 gallons if you opt for the SuperCrew).

We couldn't realistically test the capability of the new bead-lock wheels as it requires a high degree of abuse to pop a tire off the rim and our local sand dunes were closed. But given that our prior off-road experience with Raptors has proven the truck to line up to Ford's boasts, we'll trust that they work and be thankful to have them the next time we're airborne. We were able to reaffirm that the Raptor is one of the easiest and best-looking vehicles to get muddy.

Guilty Pleasure

Until Chevrolet decides to offer a burlier version of its new Silverado—or Chrysler takes its aftermarket Mopar Ram Runner project in-house—Dearborn has a lock on the Raptor's market space. That such a beastly vehicle actually escaped from Ford's CAD software and can now be purchased and driven daily is amazing in our era of tightening regulations and wanton litigation. That it continues to receive attention from the SVT skunkworks is icing on the cake.